NBA Daily Digest: Finals Begin Wednesday, Robinson's Finger in Question

The 2026 NBA Finals are two days away. The San Antonio Spurs — who punched their ticket Saturday night in Oklahoma City — will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Before ball tips, here is where each storyline stands on the morning of June 1.

No NBA games were played on May 31. The league's postseason is now down to two franchises preparing for what will be the first Spurs-Knicks Finals matchup since 1999, when San Antonio swept New York in five games.

The Knicks' center Mitchell Robinson underwent surgery on his broken right pinkie finger earlier in the week after reportedly suffering the injury in a non-basketball-related activity. His status for Game 1 remains day-to-day.1

Head coach Mike Brown said Sunday that Robinson worked through individual drills with his hand protected by a brace, but stopped short of clearing him for the opener. A final decision is expected closer to tip-off Wednesday.2

NBA playoff atmosphere — Robinson's return would bolster the Knicks' interior depth against Wembanyama.

Robinson is averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes off the bench this postseason, shooting 73.7% from the field. His rim protection and offensive rebounding would be meaningful assets against Wembanyama, who ranked first in the league in blocks this season. Whether he plays or not, the Knicks will turn to Karl-Anthony Towns as the primary frontcourt anchor.

A separate update: the injury is now believed to be a fifth metacarpal fracture — a hand injury broader than a simple finger break — which has raised concerns among Knicks fans about the recovery timeline.3

No trades or signings were reported in the past 24 hours as of the June 1 morning news cycle. The roster deadline noise is already pointing toward the offseason:

Bill Simmons said on his podcast that the OKC Thunder and Boston Celtics are the leading candidates to acquire New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy, who averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists this season. Simmons noted that the team eliminated in this WCF — the Thunder — would be in position to pursue him.4

ESPN's Finals preview puts the Castle-Brunson duel at the center of the series. Stephon Castle (SG, Spurs) limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a 41% shooting clip — his second-worst playoff series on record — during the WCF.5 Brunson is averaging 26.9 points and 6.6 assists through this postseason, having scored at least 26 in each of his three regular-season meetings with San Antonio this season.

Victor Wembanyama ranked second league-wide in defensive player of the year voting and averaged 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in three regular-season meetings with the Knicks. According to ESPN's analysis, San Antonio's defense allowed more points per 100 possessions against New York than against any other opponent this season.5

The Knicks countered by holding Wembanyama to 4-of-15 shooting in one regular-season matchup, and their frontline — Anunoby, Bridges, KAT — creates coverage problems for a Spurs team that generates most of its damage from Wembanyama's two-way dominance.

The Knicks enter the Finals having gone 11-3 during the playoffs, with an offensive rating of 123.3 — the highest by any Eastern Conference champion in the current playoff format since its introduction in 2003.5 Their three closeout wins over Cleveland came by 51, 30, and 37 points. They have had nine full days off since closing out the Cavaliers.

That rest could cut both ways. The Knicks haven't played a competitive game since May 26, while the Spurs finished a hard-fought Game 7 on Saturday night. San Antonio won that game 111-103, erasing two separate deficits in Oklahoma City.6

NBA Finals atmosphere — both franchises return to the championship stage for the first time in over a decade.

When Brunson steps on the Frost Bank Center floor Wednesday, he and his father Rick Brunson — currently a Knicks assistant coach — will become the first father-son pair to appear for the same team in NBA Finals history. Rick played 10 seconds in Game 5 of the 1999 Finals as a Knicks rookie.7

Forward Jeremy Sochan played 28 games for San Antonio before being waived, then signed with the Knicks after the All-Star break and appeared in 16 regular-season games. Because both teams reached the Finals, Sochan is eligible for a championship ring regardless of the winner — a situation that required him to appear for both franchises during a single season.8

Most analysts entering the series favor San Antonio as slight favorites, citing Wembanyama's two-way ability and the team's depth in the half-court. The Knicks' edge: a postseason offensive efficiency that no Eastern team has matched in 23 years, an 11-3 record that includes sweeps of Philadelphia and Cleveland, and a frontline that has previously contained Wembanyama in regular-season play.

Jalen Brunson at +270 Finals MVP odds is the most cited betting value for the Knicks side — if New York wins, Brunson has been the engine at 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game throughout the postseason.5

*If necessary